Team

Lisbon

Record	Div.	Conf.
4/4	Div. VI	Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference

Team

South Range

Record	Div.	Conf.
13/1	Div. V	Independents

By Tom Williams

williams@vindy.com

NORTH LIMA

After missing the first four games of his senior season recovering from a broken collarbone, Lisbon tight end/linebacker Austin Rutecki more than made up for lost time in Friday’s 10-7 victory over South Range.

On the Blue Devils’ two scoring drives in the first half, Rutecki caught five passes from quarterback Josh Liberati for 53 yards.

He saved his most important play for last. With the Raiders driving deep in Lisbon territory with two minutes remaining, Rutecki stripped running back Ethan Dominguez of the ball and recovered it at the Lisbon 4.

“It was huge,” Liberati said of the return of Rutecki, his 6-foot-4 target. “He’s awesome. I threw a couple of balls up and he went and got them. He’s the man; honestly, he’s the man in everything, life. He’s a great kid, he’ll go up and get anything.”

Rutecki showed he wasn’t afraid to excel low when he stopped the Raiders’ last hope.

“I stripped it and I was crawling for it,” Rutecki said of the fumble. “Somebody jumped on my back and gave me an extra push because I only had one hand on it.

“Somehow, I got it, I don’t know how,” said Rutecki whose best sport in basketball. “It happened so fast, it was crazy.”

Wild describes the fourth quarter even though no points were scored. With the Blue Devils ahead by three with 10 minutes to go, South Range kicker Levi Taylor attempted a 30-yard field goal. The high kick struck the right upright and bounced back.

“From my view, it looked [like it would be] good,” said Lisbon head coach Jim Tsilimos after the Blue Devils’ first win over the Raiders since 1995. “I heard a big clunk and saw it bounce back out.

“Our defense played big, our kids hung together,” Tsilimos said. “We were definitely being challenged.”

The Blue Devils (5-0) responded by eating almost six minutes before punting. Eighty-eight yards from the goal line, the Raiders stunned the Blue Devils when Seth Morrow connected with Greg Dunham in the Lisbon secondary with a pass covering about 25 yards. Dunham finally was hauled down for a 66-yard gain.

Two plays later, Morrow found Dunham for a 13-yard gain, setting up first and goal at the Lisbon 8. Rutecki ended the drive on the next play.

Liberati, the starter since halfway through his freshman season in 2012, called it “the biggest win in my high school career,” said.

The game was a startling reversal from last season when the Raiders won, 56-28.

“A whole different scenario,” said South Range head coach Dan Yeagley, citing that his offense has just three starters back. “This was two good defensive teams [battling]; this was not a surprise.”

Lisbon’s only touchdown came on the first drive, going 79 yards on 12 plays. Liberati found Jason Thompson for a 17-yard touchdown.

The Raiders (3-2) drove to the Lisbon 16 where, on fourth-and-4, Liberati sacked Morrow for a 2-yard loss. The Blue Devils then marched to the South Range 2, but two penalties and three good defensive plays forced them to settle for Justus Rosenbach’s 25-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.

The Raiders took charge in the third quarter, going 73 yards on eight plays. The final one was Morrow’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Dunham to slice the lead to 10-7.